Showdown for first place in Region 2 AA

On October 26, 2012 Jamar Smith scored a pair of touchdowns on runs of 2 and 62 yards and Chris Mobley knocked away two-point conversion pass as the Toombs County Bulldogs edged Benedictine 14-12 on Homecoming in Booster Stadium. On Thursday, October 12 the two teams will meet again and on the line will be first place in Region 2. Both teams are 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the region. Kickoff time is at 7:30 p.m. and the Bulldog Pregame Show begins at 7 on Y-101 Radio and streamed on Mixlr.

The game was moved to Thursday to avoid a conflict with the Real Squeal BBQ and Music Festival on Friday and Saturday in Lyons.

A special memorial service will be held at 7:10 p.m honoring former Toombs County Bulldog and Staff Sgt Dustin Wright, Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black, 35, of Puyallup, Washington, Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson, 39, of Springboro, Ohio and 25-year-old Sgt. La David Johnson. The four American soldiers lost their life when they were ambushed in Niger.

Please be in Booster Stadium and in your seats by 7 for this special memorial service.

Mark Terrell (front) and Valante Guerrero are greeted by their Bulldog fans at a Dawg Walk prior to the Benedictine game in 2012 On game night it will have been 1,812 days since the Bulldogs conjured up their only victory over a team with an over .500 record that also made the postseason since the Bulldogs beat Cook County in the second round of the GHSA State Playoffs on a cold November night in the Pit in 2008.

Since that night, in 2012, the two teams have gone in opposite directions. The Cadets, under head coach Danny Britt, have won 91% of their games going 61-6 while winning two AA state championships in 2014 and 16. The Bulldogs under four different coaches have won 43% of their games with a 21-28 record. However, 12 of those wins have come under head coach Richie Marsh, who is in his second year at TCHS. His 12-5 record through 17 games is the best start of any of the six Toombs County High School coaches who have preceded him. Only two Lyons High or Senior coaches have ever gotten off to a better start than Marsh. Tom Avret went 13-4 in 1965 and 1966 and Jacky Jones did the same in 1969-70.

The last time the Toombs County Bulldogs had a match up with a fellow undefeated team, at least midway through the season, was in 1995. A 5-0 TCHS team played host to 4-0 Metter. The Bulldogs had reeled off wins at Savannah Christian 29-0, at Claxton 35-6, over Calvary Day 21-0, Vidalia 41-0 and at Tattnall County 23-7. Metter came to Booster Stadium with victories over Calvary, Southeast Bulloch, ECI and Jenkins County.

The winner of Thursday’s game will be 4-0 in Region 2 with three games to play. The Bulldogs have games at home against Metter, at Vidalia and in the Pit against Swainsboro remaining on their region schedule. Benedictine plays Bacon County at home, Metter on the road and Jeff Davis at home.

Coming Tuesday more on this year’s Benedictine at Toombs County game.

Toombs County versus Benedictine archive

2016 Season

2013 Season

A game turns into a rout, real fast

With 3:26 remaining in the first half the Toombs County Bulldogs were in a game with undefeated Benedictine at Savannah State. Jamar Smith had just scored his 16th rushing touchdown of the season on a one-yard run and the Dawgs trailed the Cadets 14-7. However, by halftime Toombs trailed 28-7 and then by the end of the third quarter the Bulldogs trailed by 44 in what turned into a 51-13 loss, their worst defeat in nearly 20 years (49-0 at Bleckley County on October 22, 1993).

What turned this contest into a rout was a pair of non-offensive touchdowns by the Cadets. First, after a Demetrice Baker interception, the Bulldogs were intercepted. Ben Wright picked off a pass and ran it 48-yards down the Bulldog sideline and into the end zone. On their next possession the Bulldogs were forced to punt and with just 15 seconds remaining in the half Mike Huggins returned a Brandon Dowd bomb 75-yards down the Cadet sideline for a touchdown. Huggins scored on a 13-yard run with 10:10 to play in the third quarter, Jon Gaines rambled in from 16-yards out with 6:18 left Bulldog quarterback James Ethredge was sacked in the end zone with 4:28 to go for a safety and Jack Muller scored on a 10-yard run with 1:07 left to make it 51-7 Benedictine after three quarters.

The Cadets ran for 162 yards and threw for 200. Powers completed 9-of-11 passes with a TD and an interception. Stewart caught six of those passes for 141 yards with 67 coming on one first quarter reception. In two games against the Bulldogs the junior has caught 12 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns. Last season, in the Pit, he had six receptions for 124 yards in a game won by the Bulldogs 14-12.

The Bulldogs scored their first touchdown thanks to special teams, defense and offense. Dowd punted the ball 52-yards and the Dawgs downed it inches away from the goal line. Brandon punted the ball four times for an average of 48.8 yards. The senior is averaging 40.2 yards per punt this season. Then Cadet QB Stevie Powers fumbled the ball and TCHS recovered at the three-yard line and two playe later Smith took a James Ethredge handoff and then lowered his shoulder pads and powered the ball into the end zone.

The fourth quarter was played with a running clock and the Bulldogs scored a second touchdown, at the 6:05 mark, on a three-yard run by Smith. Jamar was held to his second lowest rushing total of the season- 89 yards on 25 carries with a long run of 24 and an average of 3.6 per carry. For the season Smith has 1246 yards on 181 carries. He is averaging 178 yards per game and 6.9 per run with 17 rushing touchdowns and one receiving score.

On defense J.D. Rogers, who was playing linebacker, had eight solo tackles and four assists to lead the Bulldogs.

2012 Season

TCHS Homecoming 2012

Oh, What A Night!

Toombs takes down Benedictine

The Toombs County Bulldogs had been in this situation once before. Control a game with their defense and then try and hang on at the end. In September the Bulldogs lost a 7-6 home game to Bacon when the Raiders scored in the final half minute. On a nice October homecoming night Toombs held off Benedictine for a 14-12 Region 2 victory. The Cadets scored a touchdown with 1:02 to play and their two-point pass for the tie was knocked away by Chris Mobley.

The Bulldogs controlled time of possession in the first half as they took a 14-0 halftime lead. Jamar Smith scored the game’s first touchdown on a two-yard run completing a short drive which was set up by a Cadet fumble. Oswaldo Guzman’s PAT made it 7-0 TCHS with 2:42 to play in the first quarter.

Smith made it 14-0 with 3:25 left in the second quarter on a 62-yard TD run down the Bulldog sideline going to the south endzone. Fullback Cameron Conner made a key block down field. Jamar ran for 190 yards on 35 carries and for the season has amassed 1228 yards and is averaging 153.5 per game and 7.3 per carry,

The Bulldog defense, which has been a dominating force throughout the season, kept the Cadets multiple offense off the scoreboard for 45 minutes and 11 seconds. The Dawgs made 10 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and allowed the Cadets 221 yards of total offense, just 14 were gained on the ground. Casey Hughes finished a Benedictine drive with a two-yard run to make it 14-6 with 2:49 to play in the fourth quarter. Michael Kersey busted through the line and blocked the PAT to keep it an eight-point game.

After a Bulldog three and out Benedictine drove 68-yards with it’s spread offense and scored on a 23-yard throw and catch from backup left-handed quarterback Stevie Powers to Brad Stewart.

After the Cadets failed two-point conversion they tried an onside kick recovered by TCHS’s Anthony Britt. Bulldog quarterback Ben Brantley took a couple of knees from the victory formation and the Bulldogs improved to 6-2 overall and 5-2 in the region headed to Vidalia.